In December 2008, at the height of financial crisis, Bank of America fired Mayopoulos. The move made way for Brian Moynihan to take over as general counsel, keeping Moynihan at the bank he would eventually take over.

And a recent deposition released this week shows Mayopoulos has forgotten little of the cold door he was shown at the bank. He wasn’t even allowed to take his pictures of his kids on the way out.

Mayopoulos, who has been the top lawyer at Fannie since April 2009, will now run the company currently battling Bank of America over loan repurchases.

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Deal Journal is an up-to-the-minute take on the deals and deal makers that shape the landscape of Wall Street, including mergers and acquisitions, capital-raising, private equity and bankruptcy. In short, wherever money changes hands. Deal Journal is updated throughout each trading day with exclusive commentary, analysis, data, news flashes and profiles. The Wall Street Journal’s David Benoit is the lead writer, with contributions from other Journal reporters and editors. Send news items, comments and questions to deals@wsj.com.

Dealpolitik is Ronald Barusch's strategic look at deals currently making the headlines as well as the major forces at work in the deal-making world. He was a M&A lawyer with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom for over 30 years. He retired in 2010 after 25 years as a partner at the firm. Click here for his current and archived columns.